Carbonating apparatus



Jan. 18 1927.

H. N. KlLBY CARBONATING APPARATUS Filed June 11. 1923 Patented Jan. 18, 1927.

HERBERT N. KILBY, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO.

CARBONATING AFPARATUS.

Application filed .Tune 11, 1923.

The present invention is directed to improvements in carbonating apparatus, and particularly to one designed for the continuous carbonation of alkaline sugar juice.

The primary object of the invention is to provide an apparatus of this character which is composed of a few parts so are ranged that the carbonation of the sugar juice will be effectively and rapidly performed.

A further object of the invention is to provide an apparatus of this character constructed in such manner that the carbonio acid gas will flow constantly during the carbonation of the juice and will be intimately commingled with the juice during the carbonation process.

As is well known in the carbonation of sugar juice the juice is thoroughly mixed with lime and afterwards subjected to the action of carbonio acid gas which causes the impurities held in solution in the juice to settle in the apparatus, thereby producing a juice which is clear.

With these and other objects in view, as will appear as the description proceeds, the invention consists in the novel features of construction, combinations of elements and arrangements of parts, and hereinafter to be fully described and pointed out in the appended claim.

In the accoi'npanying drawing:

Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view through the apparatus, and

Figure 2 is a detail vertical sectional view through'the head controlling device,

Referring to the drawing 1 designates the carbonating vessel, the lower end of which is tapered as at 2 and has associated therewith a valved outlet 3 through which deposits of heavy material may be drawn ofi". Fixed in the vessel above the lower end thereof is a screen 4 which serves to check the upward :flow of the sugar juice and-carbonio acid gas and further causes the same to intimately mix. j

The top 5" of the vessel is equipped with a pipe (3 through which excess gases can pass from thc vessel to atmosphere.

A casing 7 is fixed to one side of the vessel 1 and communicates with the interior thereof through the opening 8, said casing having a hinged lid 9 to permit access to be had to .said ycasing for sampling the sugar juice Serial No. 644,615.

when desired. Associated with the casing 7 is a pipe 10 through which the carbonated sugar juice is drawn.

Disposed adjacent the vessel 1 is a tank 11, the lower end of which is provided wit-h a valved outlet 12 to permit heavy matters to be withdrawn therefrom, there being a screen 13 fixed in said tank to check the up ward flow of liquid and at the same time mix the gas with the juice.

Mounted upon the upper end of the tank 11 is a plate 14 which has an annular wall 15 to produce a passage 16 and disposed concentrically with the wall 15 is a cylinder 17 which rests upon said plate. Confined between the wall 15 and cylinder 17 is a quantity of mercury 18 which provides a liquid seal for the dome 19, said dome being formed from aluminum and envelops the wall 15 for slidably receiving the same. A cover plate 2O closes the upper end of the cylinder 17 and is provided centrally with a stuffing box 21.

Arranged upon the cover plate 2O is a casing 22, said casing having located therein a tapered nozzle 23, the purpose of which will appear later.

Mounted` upon the upper end of the casing 22 is a cylinder 24, the top of which has mounted therein for threaded adjustment a sleeve 25, there being a stufling box 26 carried by the top of the casing 22 and disposed `in alignment with said sleeve.

A stem 27 is provided and has its lower end fixed to the dome 19, said stem being slidable in the stuffing boxes 21 and 26 and in the sleeve 25. This stem has adjustable thereon a disk 2S upon which the lower end of the coil spring 29 rests, the upper end of said spring bearing against the disks 30 which slidably engages said stem and is engaged by the lower end of the sleeve 25, whereby when said sleeve is adjusted movement is imparted to the disks 39 so that the tension of the spring 29 can be varied.

The stem 27 is further provided with a flow regulating disk 31 which cooperates with the nozzle 23 to regulate the flow of carbonio acid gas therethrough, this gas being conducted to the casing 22 from the supply pipe structure 32. This pipe structure is provided with valves 33 and 34, and when both valves are open there will be a constant dow of gas through the nozzle 23 owing to the tact that the diameter of the controlling disks 3l is less than the smallest diameter of the nozzle 23. Thus it will be observed that when the disk is in its lowered position as shown in Figure l, the periphery thereof is annularly spaced from the wall of the nozzle 23, and consequently there will be a constant tlow of gas from the casing 22 through the gas outlet pipe 35 which eX- tends downwardly into the vessel l so that its lower end will extend through the screen 4, and lies in a plane with the lower end of the sugar juice conducting pipe 86. The pipe leads :troni the tank ll into which the limed sugar juice is initially received. Coininunicating with the lower end of the tank ll is a T connection 37 and connected thereto is the lower end ot the sugar juice supply pipe 38 which leads from a suitable supply tank containing a su'thcient head of juice to assure uniform velocity, and a carbonio acid gas pipe 39 connected to a constant source of supply to assure a uniform velocity.

Connecting the T connection 37 and pipe structure 32 is a carbonio acid gas conducting pipe 39, said pipe having a valve 40 associated therewith, a similar valve 4l being associated with the pipe 38, whereby the flow of luid through the respective pipes can be controlled and regulated. It will thus be seen that the gas and juice will commingle in the T connection 37 and then pass into the tank ll.

The tank ll is provided with a sight gauge 42 so that the liquid level within the vessel l and tank 1l may be observed and maintained at the level of the line A, there also being a faucet 83 carried by the tank 1l to permit a sample of lthe juice to be drawn during the ca-rbonating process.

The apparatus is designed more particularly tor carbonating beet sugar juice, but is not necessarily limited to such use since the same can be effectively used for carbonating other fluids by using a kiln gas which varies in theper cent ot' carbonio acid gas in the gas.

The operation of the apparatus is as tollows:

The lim-ed sugar juice Hows from the pipe 3S into the T connection 37 and mixes with .the carbonio acid gas flowing into said connection from the pipe 39. This mixture flows upwardly into the tank l1 until the juice maintains a level at A. This juice flows downwardly through the -pipe 36, and simultaneously therewith a quantity of carbonio acid gas flows from the casing 22 through the pipe and meets the mixture fiowing from the ,pipe 36. The lower ends of the pipes 35 and 86 are engaged in the inverted .pan 44 which has its flange 45 formed with :serrations 46, which serve to break up gas from the pipe 35 into bubbles so as to gas into juice-coming from the tank 1l. It will be observed that since the pipe is sealed to the level A with juice that the gas not absorbed by the juice in the tank ll will rise through the passage 16 and act upon the dome 19 which will cause the controlling disk 3l to rise as the pressure increases thereby increasing the opening in the nozzle 23 to permit a larger flow ot gas therethrough. The gas used is from a lime kiln and contains a percentage of unabsorptive gas which is not affected by the lime oxide which is mixed with the juice entering the pipe 88, and it is this that operates the dome 19 to control the position ot the disk 3l with respect to the nozzle 23. The gas not absorbed in the vessel l will pass out through the pipe 0. iks the dome rises the spring 29 Oilers resistance thereto according to the percentage of carbonio acid in the gas. This pressure is always greater the lower the percentage of carbonio acid in the gas. The valve is so regulated that the juice entering the tank 1l will absorb all ot the carbonio acid gas from the pipe 30. It a kiln gas ot 20% carbonio acid and 80% unabsorptive gas is used the valves 40 and 41 are so regulated that all of the carbonio acid in the gas is absorbed and the lime oxide in the juice in the tank l1 is reduced 20%. It will be assumed that this takes 100 cubic feet of 20% carbonio acid gas and since all of the carbonio acid gas is absorbed there will remain 80% of the gas mixed with the juice in the tank 1l. Now if the 100 cubic te-et entering the tank ll is under pressure of 5 lbs. per square inch the pressure of the unabsorbed gas in said tank will be 4 lbs. per square inch.

The lime oxide in the juice will be reduced 20% and that remaining in the juice will be takenA 'from the vessel l by the pipe 35. Assuming that the valves 40 and 4l are open to the same extent and the carbonio acid gas increases to 40% and 00% unabsorptivc gas so that 100 cubic feet contains twice as much carbonio acid gas. This will leave about lime oxide in the juice entering the ves sel l, the remaining lime oxide in the juice being taken out through the pipe 35. All ot the carbonio acid gas in the 40% gas that enters the vessel 1 is absorbed and leaves 60% unabsorbed gas. lt' the 40% gas is under the same pressure as betere 5 lbs. to the square inch, the unabsorbed gases mixed in the tank ll will have a pressure of 3 lbs.

From this it will be observed that the higher the gas is in carbonio acid the lower the pressure will be of unabsorbed gases. When the pressure ot the spring 29 is such that the disk 3l is permitted to rise to a position in a plane with the upper surface ot the nozzle 23, which is the right area tor l20% gas, and the pressure decreases as with 40% gas the disk will move downwardly in the nozzle thereby decreasing the volume ot gas flowing through the nozzle into the pipe 35 and thence into the vessel l.

rlhe valve 40 is never closed When the apparatus is in operation so that a quantity of carbonio acid gas Hows continuously into the tank ll and meets the sugar juice in the T connection 37, which mixture flows into the carbonating vessel l, and the alkalinity ot the juice is determined by any suitable device. The flow of juice can be regulated by the valve ll and it the alkalinity is found to be less than required more juice can be used until the reqilired alkalinity is obtained.

The upper part oli the tank ll, above the liquid level A, may be provided with a valve 47 which, in the operation of the apparatus, may be lelt partly open so as to restrict the outliow of the unabsorbed gases from the tank ll. This provides a Controlled outlet for the unabsorbed gases which does not interfere with the operation of the diaphragm 19 nor the building up of sulicient pressures Within the upper part of the tank 11 to operate the diaphragm or dome 19.

What is claimed is:

In apparatus of the class described, a carbonating vessel, an alkaline sugar juice receiving tank in communication With the vessel, a pipe for conducting said juice from the tank to the vessel, a casing carried by the tank, a pipe structure for conducting a partially absorptive carbonio acid containing` gas to the casing, a pipe for conducting gas from the casing to the Vessel, means for simultaneously conducting sugar juice and a partially absorptive gas of substantially equivalent pressures to the tank, and means operable by the unabsorbed gases released from the sugar juice in the tank for varying the loW of gas from the casing into the gas conducting pipe leading to the vessel.

In testimony whereof I atliX my signature.

HERBERT N. KILBY. 

